Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1887-07-28

terville." put in Amasa, without a
grimace.
"a public library" chorused the
girls.
"He says he don't mind paying of
| the debt on the church either" added
their preyaricator of a father.
"How perfectly splendid"
mo one would have thought the
Grand American Spread eagle Mine
would have panned out so well, said
Amasa.
BY this time the six girls were dane
ing around the room in their excite
ment. They had never been SO excit-
ed since John Mawley, the son OF NAV
ley the mill-owner at the other end OF
the village, had become engaged to
Bessie Snow, their eldest sister-said
Mawley having concluded, on the con-
sent and advice OF his father, to break
off said engagement, after knowledge
| OF LAWYER Shows financial condition
came out and became common Cos
sip. !,
elisha says the Sunday-scbool
| shall have a new organ II it takes his
last cent" said their father, laughing
heartily. He could not hold himself
in.
"Well." said Elisha, mot quite as
bad as that. But they shall have a
new melodeon-yes."
This capped the climax. The Sun
day school had been holding picnics,
strawberry festivals, ice-cream festi-
walls, lectures, busy-bees, and ] don't
know what besides-in which the six
girls had taken a lively lnterest-to
raise money enough for an organ; but,
do their best, they could raise only
about fifty dollars. They threw them
| selves upon their uncle, and as there
was not quite enough OF him to go
around, they threw themselves upon
their father. 1t was a touching scene.
Two of the girls were in tears, and one
of them was heard to say sour de-
livererl"
And there in the midst stood the
two old hypocrites, laughing as heart
lily as the rest only-only in Amasa
Shows eyes there glistened some real
tears. Poor man! how he wished it
was all true, For he loved his girls
beyond everything on earth, and their
happiness and Joy unnerved him Ter
his little scheme. If it should fail,
how should he dare look them in the
face again?
Suddenly Bessie looked up. "It's
late" she said-"it's dreadfully late
for the sewing society,""
When they we're alone Elisha said:
you've done jti-you've gone and
done i'll In five minutes every word
| of what we've said will be all over this
village. Yes, and all over the State
of Connecticut. Dunn il! Isay, Amasa,
this isn't right"
"Why? Don't you have any fears.
Suppose they do tell of your millions;
it will give you credit"
"Ah, yes, yes! but they will all be
after me for my money" Elisha
Strengthened himself up very stiftiy,
and buttoned his coat over mis- chest
very firmly, as if to impress on his
brother the fact that he wouldn't let
them have a cent-not one cent-if
they did.
"Well, don't say it isn't SO any
way" whispered Amasa, and led
Elisha to his room, where that great
and good philanthropist and million
ai-e lay down upon a sofa and took a
comfortable nap.
For a week East Chesterville was in
| q condition of ferment. The resurrec-
ton OF Elisha Snow i'm the form of a
millionaire, after having departed
twenty years before with reputation
for uncomfortable laziDess, and an
ability only remarkable for imbibing
hard cider, was enough to shake the
aaA,ro nNt,ntu 20 re nanfar THAN his
magnificent b~equests-the town libra
ry building, the c organ, raising the
ministers salary, proposing to estab-
lished a Home for Incurable Idiots
for poor Elisha found he could not
stop promising when he had once be-
gun, and his plan to build q new gym
nasium, shating rink, winter hath, all
combined, for the young people, made
him at once the idol Of the town.
Mawley, the mill owner, met Amasa
one day on the street. "See here" he
said, ''F've told Slayton to let up on
you. You and | were always old
friends. Pay up the interest on that
mortgage any time you please. By
the way, Pm tired Of Slayton. He's
bounded you, when you were down, in
a darned mean way. Pm sick ofSlay-
ton. I'll send you round a retainer
tomorrow OF five hundred dollars in
a case I've got against some Provi-
dence people. Big case-big money in
it. How's your brother-pretty well,
l hope. Those California magnates
are all coming East, | hear. Think
your brother would like to put any
money in my mill? A big chance now.
| don't need the money, but it don't
pay to keep all your eggs in one bask-
ct. How's Bessie? Good morning"
Mr.. Mawley, n moment. You
don't let uponmea and send me to this
lawsuit because Elisha is a million
aire, do you?"
ooh, no., no, no! Why, what anideai
By-the.Way, lnever favored the break
ing of OF that match-my son and
Bessie. Good.Day."
Amasa Snow got round behind the
fence, and laughed and shook with
him. His little scheme was working
well. One needs very little capital in
this world if n a only obtain its
substitute-credit. That week and
the next he had retainers sent him
from several wealthy proprietors in a
neigbboring manufacturing town.
They had heard of his brothers mill
ions. He had the foreclosure suit
discontinued, paid Mawley his inter-
est, got his mortgage extended indefi-
nately. What is more, his business
picked up so that he paid a large sum
on account all around among the
creditors. They all said, elisha is
doing it for him." He painted and
refurbIshed the old Snow house. He
ran slightly into debt in doing it, but
his girls had some new clothes sent
them from New York. He donned a
suit OF broadcloth, and-he was hap
py. He was on his feet. Slayton
was utterly nonpulssed. In vain the
willy practitioner went about spread
ins doubts as to Elisha's having any
money whatever. "Why don't he
buy that organ?" he kept saying, I'M
til people began to wonder why indeed.
As soon as the rumor spread about
that Elisha was childless, and that he
intended leaving his money in equal
shares to his six nieces, they went off
literally like hot cakes. Mawley iun-
Tor, who really loved the girl, married
Bessie, and then they were all married
off in patches OF two, until the young
est refused to marry at all, saying,
with her finger at her lip, 'she pre-
ferred to stay with her father"
In one year all this happened. Am
asa Snow was nov a successful man
his debts paid and his practice increas-
ing. One day the rumor reached him
why had not Elisha paid for that
organ?
He went to Elisha. ..It is time" he
said, 'for you to disappear"
"Pm very contented here" protest
ed Elisha, reading the newspapers
and sitting in the hotel. 1t agrees
with me. l don't want to disappear"